A single dose of hallucinogens significantly reduced symptoms in people with: major depressive disordera new study found.
The clinical trial was led by researchers at Imperial College London, and the team found that participants with depression who took the hallucinogen dimethyltryptamine (DMT) had significantly reduced symptom severity compared to those who took a placebo.
According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, DMT is a naturally occurring hallucinogen similar to compounds found in “magic mushrooms” and serotonin. known to produce short and intense hallucinations.
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Compounds contained in. various plants According to the above sources, this is stated to be the psychoactive component of the drug ayahuasca.
To prepare ayahuasca, a plant containing DMT is boiled with another plant containing a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), such as harmaline, and the resulting decoction is consumed.
Over the past decade, research has suggested the potential of DMT as a treatment for depression, but there have been few placebo-controlled treatments. clinical trial.
“DMT is probably effective in depression by changing brain chemistry in a way that promotes the release of hormones, particularly serotonin, but also dopamine, while also breaking the downward spiral,” Dr. Mark Siegel, a senior medical analyst at FOX News who was not involved in the study, told FOX News Digital.
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34 patients moderate to severe depression A history of at least two failed treatments was then entered into the new trial. Half of the patients received a single intravenous dose of placebo over 10 minutes, and the other half received 21.5 mg of DMT.
Symptom severity was measured before and after treatment using a standardized questionnaire called the Montgomery-Osberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the press release states.
Two weeks after the first dose, the DMT group had less severe symptoms compared to the placebo group. After 6 months, some participants reported: antidepressant effect It still existed.
“These results nicely add to the growing body of evidence showing the great potential of psychedelic treatments in mental health disorders,” study lead author Dr. David Elizzo, from Imperial College London, said in the release. The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.
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Although there were some limitations, no serious adverse events were reported. The researchers noted that the study lacked ethnic diversity and excluded participants with a history of serious suicide attempts.
“He won’t show up. become addictedSiegel said of DMT, “The problem is that a lot of people are microdosing ayahuasca, and I’m against it because there are unpredictable reactions.”
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The researchers also noted that DMT’s effectiveness appears to depend on the intensity of the actual psychedelic experience it induces, which varies from person to person.
“This is an early-stage trial specifically developing DMT therapy for depression, so the next step is a larger trial,” Elizzo told FOX News Digital.
Elitzo said DMT treatment is currently difficult to access outside of trials because research is still ongoing.
“For people who have suffered from depression and haven’t gotten enough relief.” existing treatmentsKetamine-assisted therapy, carefully delivered with the involvement of a good therapist, is a good alternative while the next treatments are further tested and considered for regulatory approval,” he said.
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The evidence for the potential efficacy of ketamine-assisted therapy for depression is much greater than that of DMT therapy, the researchers noted.
Dr. Justin Gerstner, a psychiatrist and chief medical officer at Erie Mental Health in Minnesota, told Fox News Digital that there hasn’t been much regulation regarding how ketamine treatment is administered since it was first approved. use of anesthesia.
“The fields are wide and a bit like the Wild West,” he said. “This is a very powerful drug, and its use can vary greatly.”
In high doses, this drug can cause health problems that affect cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological function and can be fatal, as stated on the American Poison Centers website.
